Frameless glass doors, such as those used in showers, are typically installed using metal hinges that are rectangular in shape. FIGS. 1a and 1b (Prior art) illustrates two ways in which notches are currently cut into frameless glass doors, such as shower doors to accommodate the metal hinges. FIG. 1a illustrates a simple rectangular notch 102 in a glass door 100, while FIG. 1b illustrates a rectangular notch with the inner opposing round corners 104 in the door 100 to better receive the corner fasteners of the hinge mechanism.
The hinges used in connection with the frameless glass doors contain two face plates, upon one of which may be a raised rectangular area containing the hinge mechanism itself. In operation, these raised areas are inserted into the rectangular notches cut into the glass plates of a shower door and support. The opposing face plates extend beyond the cut into the glass and are then secured to together. As such, the current art relies solely on clamping pressure from the face plates to keep the glass door from slipping out of its hinges. As a result, it is a common problem, when installing frameless glass doors like those used in heavy glass shower doors, to have the glass slip in the hinges, causing the door to loose proper alignment. In addition, glass doors, once installed, may also go out of alignment during use if undue pressure is applied to the door.
By way of example, FIG. 2 (Prior Art) illustrates one example of a glass door hinge 200 manufactured according to prior art, comprising a face plate 202, a raised central portion 204 having a rectangular shape and the hinge mechanism 206. As illustrated in FIG. 3 (Prior Art), the raised portion 204 on the face plate 202 is inserted into the opening 102, 104 in the glass door 100. The opening 102, 104 is sized such that the face plate 202 extends beyond the opening and sits flush against the face of the glass door 100. To secure the hinge 200 to the door 100, as illustrated in FIG. 4, fastener holes 404 in the face plate 402 are aligned with the fastener holes 406 in the corners of the raised portion 204 of the face plate 202. Face plate 402 is larger than the opening 104. When secured to the central raised portion 204, the face plates 202, 402 clamp the glass 100 between the face plates 202, 402. As such, clamping pressure from the face plates 202, 402 keep the glass door 100 from slipping out of the hinges 200. However, given the rectangular shape of the opening 102, 104 in the glass door 100 and the rectangular shape of the central raised portion 204 of the hinge 200, the central raised portion 204 of the hinge can slide out of the opening 102, 104 in the glass door if the clamping pressure between the plates 202 and 402 is compromised, cause slipping and/or the hinge 200 breaking from the door 100. Slipping can cause the door 100 to break by either falling off the hinge 200 or hitting an opposing glass panel. Accordingly, a need still exists for a slip-resistant or slip-minimizing hinge system.